Isaiah 9; Matthew 19; Matthew 20; Isaiah 10

1Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan--2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.3You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.4For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.5Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.8The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel.9All the people will know it-- Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria-- who say with pride and arrogance of heart,10"The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars."11But the LORD has strengthened Rezin's foes against them and has spurred their enemies on.12Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.13But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty.14So the LORD will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day;15the elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.16Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray.17Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men, nor will he pity the fatherless and widows, for everyone is ungodly and wicked, every mouth speaks vileness. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.18Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.19By the wrath of the LORD Almighty the land will be scorched and the people will be fuel for the fire; no one will spare his brother.20On the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. Each will feed on the flesh of his own offspring:21Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh; together they will turn against Judah. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

1When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.2Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" 4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ?6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."10The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."11Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.14Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."18"Which ones?" the man inquired. Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,19honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."27Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"28Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.'5So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."17Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them,18"We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death19and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"20Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21"What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." 22"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered.23Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.25Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.26Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."29As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.30Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"32Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.33"Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

1Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees,2to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.3What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?4Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.5"Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath!6I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets.7But this is not what he intends, this is not what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many nations.8'Are not my commanders all kings?' he says.9'Has not Calno fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like Damascus?10As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria--11shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?' "12When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.13For he says: " 'By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings.14As one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations; as men gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.' "15Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it, or the saw boast against him who uses it? As if a rod were to wield him who lifts it up, or a club brandish him who is not wood!16Therefore, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame.17The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers.18The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away.19And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down.20In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.21A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God.22Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous.23The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land.24Therefore, this is what the Lord, the LORD Almighty, says: "O my people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.25Very soon my anger against you will end and my wrath will be directed to their destruction."26The LORD Almighty will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt.27In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat.28They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; they store supplies at Micmash.29They go over the pass, and say, "We will camp overnight at Geba." Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees.30Cry out, O Daughter of Gallim! Listen, O Laishah! Poor Anathoth!31Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take cover.32This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.33See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low.34He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.